Mike Anich

Reporter

manich@leaderherald.com

The front exterior of the Gloversville Public Library.
(The Leader-Herald/Bill Trojan)

GLOVERSVILLE — The Fulton County Center for Regional Growth board of directors on Friday approved a lease with the Gloversville Public Library, which is temporarily moving into the agency’s building.

Terms of the lease — approved at the monthly meeting at the CRG building at 34 W. Fulton St. — were not spelled out.

CRG President and CEO Ronald Peters said he conferred with agency attorney Michael Albanese, who is “fully in favor” of the lease.

Peters said the library may start to move materials to the CRG building starting in December.

It was announced in October that the library — in a cooperative move — would be moving into part of the 35,000-square-foot CRG building. The old Carnegie library on East Fulton Street is undergoing major renovations, and plans to relocate temporarily.

An artist rendering of the proposed front of the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth.
(Photo submitted)

The library has conducted a $250,000 “Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future” campaign aimed at renovation. The building will undergo renovations on every floor. They include turning the basement into a children’s area with a teen room, and installing new heating and cooling systems, including replacing the building’s 112-year-old boiler. The library will become handicapped-accessible with an elevator and will provide a better layout for wheelchairs and strollers, library officials say.

The plan is to move out of the library for about two years. The library is 104 years old, has never been renovated, and doesn’t meet most codes.

Peters said the Fulton County Board of Realtors has also found a new home at the largely-vacant CRG building.

Meanwhile, Peters reminded his board Friday that the CRG building is also undergoing a building renovation effort for 34 W. Fulton St. He said the agency hopes to land about $650,000 in grant money for the project.

“It’s going to be an 18-month to two-year rollout,” Peters said of the project.

State Sen. Hugh T. Farley, R-Niskayuna, announced in April he landed a grant through the state budget process for the CRG to renovate its new building. Peters said that money hasn’t been received yet, but he’ll be “sending out a package” to secure funding.

Peters said the CRG already received a $50,000 National Grid grant, and has applied for a separate $400,000 Restore New York Grant to renovate the building.

“It’s looking real good for that [Restore] grant,” he said.

Peters said the CRG should hear by December on whether the grant was approved.

Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at manich@leaderherald.com.